I love helping ideas take shape. To me, the best thing about working on a music festival is the journey from conception to execution.
How does a concept become an object? How does an idea that exists only in someone’s imagination become a tangible, physical reality? How do you combine existing technology with human ingenuity to produce moments that make your audience feel completely alive?
It’s a magical process. And while it’s always fun to be involved with any creative endeavor, it’s even more exciting when you’re doing something that’s never been previously been done in India.
The stage we’re constructing for Smirnoff Experience on December 21st has never been built before, in India or anywhere. We’re planning a gigantic, asymmetrical scaffold structure – to call it a stage seems an injustice. It’s been designed by VitaMotus, the studio that has developed similar installations at Coachella and Boom Festival, as well as custom sets for artists including Amon Tobin, Infected Mushroom, and Bingo Players. It’s part engineering marvel, part architectural wonder, and part industrial art project.
Most arena EDM shows follow the same format – a wooden stage, flanked by a metal truss. The crew rigs the lights, lasers, and other pyrotechnic equipment to the truss, which also supports the stage’s canopy (if one is needed). Behind the DJ, you see either a single LED screen, or a series of panels.
There’s nothing wrong with the formula – in fact most superstar DJs who play stadium shows in India have specific stage riders that ask for what I’ve described above. It’s become the industry standard format for EDM shows because it’s relatively easy to produce but powerful enough to impress audiences.
We’ve gone for something completely different. Instead of seeing a stage, our fans will see a massive, 60 feet wide, 35 feet high cloud that appears to float above the DJ. Instead of LED screens, they’ll see an ingenious structure influenced by Cubist sculpture. Instead of the industry standard, you’ll see a glimpse of the future.
And, when the sun sets, this entire colossus will come alive. We’re using the most powerful projectors available in the country to create an integrated 3-D mapped stage that lives and breathes. We’re working closely with Nero and Rusko to design shapes and colors that intensify and amplify their music and its themes. We’re creating an experience that will electrify your eyes, your ears, and your imagination.
At 6:00PM on December 21st in Bangalore, the sun will be gone, the lights will come on, and the idea will become a reality, for the first time in India. It’ll be the culmination of months of planning, a moment of magic borne from cross-cultural conversations: American innovation, Indian engineering.
The Sherp has promised us that he’ll be there. Will you?
Click here to know more about Nero and Rusko.